Board candidates get an earful
Rutland Herald | March 02, 2017
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
STAFF WRITER
Caron
Caron
SPRINGFIELD — The candidates for the one open seat on the Springfield School Board got an earful from two dissatisfied parents during a candidates’ forum Tuesday night.
Ed Caron, who is the current chairman of the board, is running for re-election to his three-year seat. He is being challenged by Troy Palmer, who said it is his first run for public office.
Caron, 71, and Palmer 41, listened to the two women sharply criticize the School Board and district for not having a plan for the elementary grades.
Springfield ranks among the worst Vermont school districts when it comes to elementary grades, said Susan Leon, who said she was the mother of a special needs daughter.
Springfield is lacking a coherent plan for its elementary schools, she said, characterizing the districts schools as having the “third worst in testing in the state.”
“We have a lot of talented staff,” she said.
Leon, who said she was also an education professional, said that Springfield had good teachers doing a good job in the classroom, but there was a lack of overall accomplishment or strategy.
Another mother, Jan Toner, was even more blunt. Toner, who
Palmer
Palmer
said she had been a longtime substitute in the school district, said district staff didn’t feel supported by the administration or School Board and were afraid of retaliation if they ever complained.
“I want a plan for better elementary schools,” Toner said. “I don’t want diminished options. There’s no foreign language at the middle school.”
“I have a lot of faith in Zach,” Caron said, referring to Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin.
“ I don’t,” Toner shot back.
“As far as a plan, this is the first I’ve heard of it,” Caron said.
Toner said she would have liked to run for the board but said she couldn’t afford a babysitter to look after her young children while her husband was still at work so she could go to meetings.
Caron seemed taken aback by the pointed criticism, and he said he wasn’t aware of how low Springfield was rated by the state for its elementary grades. And, he said, in response to a question from local real estate investor Darrell Lee, he wasn’t aware of how poorly Springfield schools were ranked on the major real estate websites, and questioned their accuracy.
Caron,whoissemiretired, has
Martin
Martin
lived in Springfield since 2005, Palmer since 2008.
Palmer, an engineering manager at Sting Ray Optics in Keene, N.H., said he and his wife returned to her hometown to raise their young family.
He said he decided to run for the School Board out of concern for his children’s education. He said that too many Springfield kids go to Green Mountain Union High School because of “lack of services.”
He also faulted the school district for having a “huge principal turnover.”
And Palmer singled out Springfield High School Athletic Director Timothy MacDonnell, who also moonlights as a coach for Woodstock Union High School, as evidence “we have a management problem.”
Caron said he supported the decision to close Park Street School as the school administration’s headquarters and find office space elsewhere as a move that was long overdue. He said the heating costs of the former elementary school were too high and there was no handicapped accessibility. He said the school district was looking for space for 18 staffers, including the superintendent.
He said finding a new place for those who use the old school’s gym would be a problem.
“I think
Morris
Morris
we have to move, no matter what,” he said, noting the only thing that would stop the move was if the $29 million school budget was defeated. School taxes, Caron pointed out, are slated to go down 2.1 cents.
In addition to Palmer and Caron, who is completing his first term on the board, the dozen or so people who turned out for the forum — which was sponsored by the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce — also heard from the two candidates for two open seats on the Springfield Select Board: Chairman Kristi Morris and newcomer Michael Martin. Select Board member George McNaughton is not running for re-election.
Morris and Martin, both lifelong residents of Springfield, urged residents to support the special articles that would create a new Springfield Revitalization Fund, and fund it to the tune of $100,000.
Martin, 64, is a sales manager for HB Energy Solutions in Springfield.
Morris, 65, is an engineer at Lovejoy Tool Co., and has just completed his third, three-year term, most of it as chairman.
It’s important, they both said, for the town to create and maintain the type of town people want to live in.

No responsible, young family in their right mind would move to Springfield and enroll their children in our failed schools. Worse yet, the community doesn't acknowledged the root issue. Springfield is a fetid wasteland of liberal politics not even worth visiting.

Parents who have to hunt for a better school for their kids are just joining the rest in the race to the bottom. In Finland, no parent has to hunt for a "better" school, because the entire country values education so highly that they make sure all schools have everything every child needs-- and Finland has the best public education system and best outcomes in the world.

But here, we have parents who leave Springfield so their kids will be able to go to Woodstock; we have parents who won't move into Springfield even though they make their money (and a lot of them get paid quite well) because of what Anonymous has said about our system, and for lack of their taxpaying presence and their kids, our school system has to tighten its belt even further-- which reinforces the next family's need to join the race to the bottom.

Chuck, as usual you just don't get it. Springfield has about the highest spending per student. If all it took was cash our schools would be a bench mark for excellence. But like Obama refusing to mouth the words, Islamic terrorist, our administrators refuse to acknowledge the root issue. Until that that is addressed, I and my extended family are all voting no on the school budget and returning board member. It is the only leverage we tax payers have.

What you do not seem to understand Anonymous, is that voting NO on the school budget does not get to the root of the issue. Administration will not cut where you, and the majority of the town believes the cuts will be. Administration will cut where it actually hurts. Children's educations will actually be impacted. Admin will still sit pretty in their office with AC, while students safety and learning will be in jeopardy as they continue to cut at a disproportionate level in the younger schools. Coming to meetings, being involved, being vocal, standing up to the administration, getting on budget committees to actually see where the money is going- That will make the difference. But voting this budget down will only result in Elm Hill and Union Street having less adults, less supplies, and less chance at actually educating our children to what they deserve.

So just to understand,, the current Chair of the school board doesn't know the school ratings or how poorly the elementary schools current grades are compared to the rest of the state? How can you make good decisions as a board member, never mind being the lead of the board, if you don't know the basic statistics and demographics of the schools your supposed to be representing?? Sounds like its time for a new board member!!

It really isn't what we want! Superintendent Joe Silver, came to Springfield from Windsor. Why? They didn't want him. He left, school district improves! Dr Rose Ruth, comes to Springfield from Arizona, because her child is attending Dartmouth. This helicopter parent gets every thing she wants, and leaves. Then we paid out her contract! Zach, we just paid for his doctorate, was he here while going to school but we paid him. He puts in a principal at Elm Hill who isn't qualified, but we accept, she gets the license which we paid for, now she quits when she runs the school into the ground. What is the common denominator, we allow this school board, made up of wanna bed make decisions we vote down, or don't move on items we do vote yes on. Current chair, you don't know what's going on, you must go! Zach, I say should not have his contract renewed when it's up. But most of all, as a non resident, he should not be able to speak at the town meeting on Tuesday. The school board must answer any and all questions the tax payers ask. Palmer, you have my vote, you have a vested interest in the school...your children!

Get your information straight....the Principal at Elm Hill was a hire by the previous Superintendent. The Union Street Principal left last year. So, the two schools with the low rankings in the Realtor ratings have or will have new Principals. Seems to me the changing of leadership could be part of a plan.

Also, in the last couple years the Springfield School District per pupil spending has moved to the middle of the pack for the State of Vermont.

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